Alli picked up the PFA Young Player of the Year award for the second consecutive season, whilst Kante won the PFA Player of the Year for his contribution to Chelsea’s title challenge.

Alli has netted on 20 occasions in all competitions this season, and former Arsenal man Smith believes that his contribution has been greater than that of Kante’s.

“I’d always go for the man who scores the goals [as the most important player],” Smith told Sky Sports.

“We were talking about it off air and Kante, as brilliant as he is, you could get somebody to do that job though not to quite the same effect.

“If you brought Matic in and said ‘sit there and protect the back four or back three and break up the play’ maybe that wouldn’t be such a loss with Kante out of the team as Dele Alli scoring goals so I would always go with the man that pops up and gets the odd vital goal.”

Smith, however, isn’t the only pundit who believes that Alli is more influential than his London counterpart.

“It would be my dream pairing, those two in the middle of the midfield, maybe in a three with another player in there,” Paul Walsh also told Sky Sports.